MATHEMATICS UNIT PLANNER

Topic:
Key mathematical understandings
(2-4 understandings only; written as statements believed to
be true about the mathematical idea/topic):

Different events have different outcomes

that can either be fair or unfair

Likelihood can be predetermined when

you are aware of the sample space

Some events the percentage of chance

of an outcome to occur will not change
with each event

Some events the percentage of chance

of an outcome changes as events occur

Year Level: 2

Date: 19th Oct. 2015

Week: 3

Key AusVELS Focus / Standard (taken directly from AusVELS documents):

Content strand(s):
Number and Algebra
Measurement and Geometry
Sub-strand(s):

Statistics and Probability

Level descriptions: Year 2

Identify practical activities and everyday events that involve chance. Describe outcomes as likely or unlikely and
identify some events as certain or impossible (ACMSP047)

Proficiency strand(s):

Key skills to develop and practise (including

strategies, ways of working mathematically, language goals, etc.) (45 key skills only):

Term: 4

Understanding

Fluency

Problem Solving

Reasoning

Understanding: Outcomes are not certain based on their pre-determined probability.

Reasoning: Use different methods and strategies to evaluate and check their assessment of fair and unfair.
Key equipment / resources:

Likely, Unlikely, Certain and Impossible laminated

cards (Appendix 1)

Determining the likelihood of an event

Coloured Blocks

Categorizing fair and unfair games

Empty Bag

Probability of multiple events when the first

event affects the second

6 sided die

iPads

Using trial and error and graphing and

categorizing data

Create a Spinner:
https://illuminations.nctm.org/adjustablespinner/

Different variables can effect the outcome

Interactive whiteboard

Beetle Game template (paper copy) (Appendix 2)

Beetle Game concrete copy (Appendix 2.1)

Online Games:
Fine Candies
(http://www.compasslearningodyssey.com/sample_
act/34math_probably.html

Lucky Pick Machine

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/maths/flash/probabil
ity.swf
Probability Bag Sheet Version 1/2 (Appendix 3 and 4)

Key vocabulary (be specific and include definitions of key words

appropriate to use with students)

Likelihood the chance of it occurring

Probability, Chance the extent to which something
is likely to happen or be the case.
Impossible zero chance of occurring
Possible able to be done or achieved, not certain.
Certain will definitely occur.
Likely might happen or be true; probable.
Fair all outcomes have equal chance
Unfair outcomes do not have equal chance,
likelihood is weighted to some outcomes over others.
Sample space A collection of all possible outcomes
of a random experiment
Event
Occurrence
Data collection of facts, outcomes from events.
Variable something that skews the likelihood of
events
Random by chance, not planned or prearranged;
irregular.

Possible misconceptions (list of misconceptions related

to the mathematical idea/topic that students might develop):

Conditional probability versus Independent

Probability (Reaburn, 2013; Way, 1996)
Partitioning outcomes, a spinner split into
four unequal sections (e.g blue, green, red,
yellow) do not all have a chance of occurring.
Unfair and fair
Sample space size; frequency and
randomness. (Way, 1996)

Key probing questions (focus questions that will be used to

Links to other contexts (if applicable, e.g., inquiry unit focus, current

develop understanding to be used during the sequence of lessons; 3 5

probing questions):

events, literature, etc.):

Learning
strategies/ skills

Analysing
Checking
Classifying
Co-operating
Considering options
Designing
Elaborating

MATHEMATICA
L
FOCUS
(what you want the
children to come to
understand as a result
of this lesson short,
succinct statement)

Estimating
Explaining
Generalising
Hypothesising
Inferring
Interpreting
Justifying

TUNING IN
(WHOLE CLASS FOCUS)
(a short, sharp task relating to the
focus of the lesson; sets the scene/
context for what students do in the
independent aspect. e.g., It may be a
problem posed, spider diagram, an
open-ended question, game, or
reading a story)

Have four jars set up.

Session 1
Likely, unlikely,
impossible and
certain.

What is the likelihood of

pulling out a blue marble?
Write on the board; Likely,
Unlikely, Impossible and
Certain.

How can we determine probability?

What events maintain the same probability
with every outcome?
What events probability evolves after each
outcome?
What makes something fair And what are
some examples of unfair games? What are
some examples of fair games?
What scenarios can effect the probability of an
everyday situation?

Listening
Locating information
Making choices
Note taking
Observing
Ordering events
Organising

Performing
Persuading
Planning
Predicting
Presenting
Providing feedback
Questioning

Reading
Recognising bias
Reflecting
Reporting
Responding
Restating
Revising

Seeing patterns
Selecting information
Self-assessing
Sharing ideas
Summarising
Synthesising

INVESTIGATIONS
SESSION

REFLECTION & MAKING

CONNECTIONS SESSION

(INDEPENDENT LEARNING)
(extended opportunity for students to
work in pairs, small groups or
individually. Time for teacher to probe
childrens thinking or work with a small
group for part of the time and to also
conduct roving conferences)

(WHOLE CLASS FOCUS)

(focused teacher questions and summary
to draw out the mathematics and assist
children to make links. NB. This may
occur at particular points during a lesson.
Use of spotlight, strategy, gallery walk,
etc.)

- Enabling prompt
(to allow those experiencing difficulty to
engage in active experiences related to
the initial goal task)
- Extending prompt
(questions that extend students
thinking on the initial task)

Give the children laminated

strips of everyday activities
and scenarios.

Using the teachers list of

each scenario, go through
one by one each scenario
and ask the children what
they classified each scenario.

Enabling
Organise the students who
need enabling and organise
them to think of their own
activities for each of the
following categories
(Likely, Unlikely,
Impossible and Certain)
and to record it in their

As table groups let them

organise the situations into
four categories Likely,
Unlikely, Impossible and
Certain.

If there are any differences,

get them to explain their
reasoning for it.

ADAPTATIONS

Testing
Viewing
Visually representing
Working independently
Working to a timetable

ASSESSMENT
STRATEGIES

(should relate to objective. Includes what the

teacher will listen for, observe, note or
analyse; what evidence of learning will be
collected and what criteria will be used to
analyse the evidence)

Collect their maths exercise

books and assess their
understanding of the words
Likely, Unlikely, Impossible and
Certain.
Check for this understanding
by their responses to them.

Before starting the activity

start running through each
word and ask the children
to define them.

Walk around the classroom

and listen for the children
explaining their reasoning.
Encourage dialogue.

Get them to classify what

each jar would be.
Jar One: 10 Blue marbles,
one read.
Jar Two: 1 Blue marble, 10
red marbles.
Jar Three: 10 red marbles.
Jar Four: 10 blue marbles.

Why would this scenario

be impossible?

maths exercise books.

Ask the children if there were
any disagreements?
Encourage dialogue,
reasoning and justification of
classifying the likelihood of
activities.

Why is this scenario likely

but NOT certain?

Extending
For the more capable
organise the children into
small groups, and get them
to think of variables that
would change the likelihood
of the event. For example,
We will have an Italian
lesson today. Would be
more likely if it was a
Thursday (as this is the day
we are scheduled for
Italian).

For the enabling group, also

check there understanding of
what can change the
probability in creating a more
likely or less likely chance.

Get them to record it in

their exercise books.

Session 2
Fair and Unfair

Set the class into two

teams: Girls and Boys.
Have a six-sided dice.
Girls get a point if the
number rolls on 1, 2, 3 and
4.
Boys get a point on
numbers 5 and 6.
Roll 10 times.
Is this game fair or unfair?
Who is the game in favour
too?
What could we do to make
it fair?

Create a Spinner
Get the children in pairs to
log onto the Illuminations
website to create a spinner.
Ask them to create one
spinner with two or more
options that is fair.
What makes the spinner
fair?
Ask them to test it out with
20 trials (spins).
And one spinner with more
two or more options that is
unfair.
Ask them to test it out with
20 trials (spins).
What makes the spinner
unfair?
What were your results?
Did your results match
what you probability?
Why might it not?
Whats the difference
between certain and likely?

Walking around the

classroom, choose a few
children to share their
spinners with the class.
Choose a selection of both
fair and unfair spinners.
Present their spinners on the
interactive whiteboard and
ask them to explain why they
think it is fair or unfair.
Then ask the rest of the class
if they think that student is
right, and why.

Enabling
After the class discussion
and reflection, do they need
to change their spinners?
Continue on only using two
options and create more
fair and unfair spinners.
Extending
Get the children to create
fair and unfair spinners with
more than three options.
Ask them to create
spinners that if two
outcomes were combined
they would be equal to
another outcome.

Through walking around and

asking questions of the
students assess their spinners
and their classification and
explanation and reasoning for
whether they are fair or unfair.

Session 3
Determining
probability of an
event.

Fine Candies Game.

Compass Learning
Odyssey online game.
http://www.compasslearnin
godyssey.com/sample_act/
34math_probably.html
Go through the different
lolly boxes with the children
and get them to answer the
questions.
Go through a couple, if
they are losing
engagement try the Lucky
Pick Machine. Same
concept, however could be
useful to maintain
engagement.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/
bitesize/ks2/maths/flash/pr
obability.swf

Blocks in the bag

In pairs, give the children
10 coloured blocks and a
empty bag. (6 blue, 2 red,
1 green, 1 yellow).
Ask the children which
would be the most likely to
be pulled out first?
Draw each block out one at
a time.
Does the probability
change each time you
draw out a block?
If you have drawn out an
entire colour what is the
probability of it being the
next to be drawn out?
If there is only one colour
left what is the likelihood of
it being drawn out?
Get the children to make
predictions and record their
results.
Run through this three
times, recording all results

Talk about the sample space

and ask the children what
that mean.
What does sample space
mean?
Can someone demonstrate
what the sample space is in
his or her bag at the
moment?
Whats the most likely to be
pulled out? Least likely?
Get the children to use the
bag they have at the
moment, and ask a few to
draw their sample space
using colours on the
interactive white board and
make a tally of each colour
and its likelihood/probability
of being pulled out first?
____________
If our sample space has 20
options, how much will each
events probability collectively
have to equal to?
What are some other ways to
say 1 in 4 chance?
(1/4, 25%)

Enabling
Give them a few different
prompts to get them
thinking, from the
perspective that all the
options should equal a
whole.
Blue is 3/10 chance and
Red is 6/10 chance its
impossible for yellow to be
pulled out so how many
green are there? What is
the greens likelihood of
being pulled out first?
Draw the bags out in the
probability bags sheet
(Appendix 3)
Extending
What is in my bag?
Let the children choose
from a wider range of
blocks, still only from the
four colours though, and
still with a max of 10.
Get one person of the pair
to put a selection of 10
blocks in the bag. The other
pair has to guess what the
combination is that their
partner placed in the bag.
Then once revealed they

Ask them to hand in there

record sheets. Assess their
understanding of determine
the probability by looking at the
sample space.

have to work out what was

the likelihood of each block
being pulled out first (nonconditional probability).
Also use the Probability
Bags Sheet Version 2.
(Appendix 4)
Session 4

Roll The Die

The Beetle
Game
Highlighting
variability in
results.

Put numbers one to six

around the classroom. Ask
the children to choose a
number to stand near; if
that number is rolled they
must sit down. Keep
playing till there is one
person standing.

What is the probability of

going out with each roll?
Does less students create
a higher chance for
survival?

The Beetle Game

Give each student the
beetle template.

Towards the latter end of the

lesson pose the following
questions.

Working in pairs, get them

to play the Beetle Game.

Did the person who rolled a

six first win?

Beetle Game Rules:

Roll a 6 to get a body part
Must get the body and
head to start the game

How many rolls did it take to

complete the beetle?

One roll will only get one

leg (not all 6), same with
the eyes and feelers which
are each classified with a
number
Play in pairs till someone
gets a whole beetle and
record their score (how
many roles it took to
complete the beetle, the
lower the number the
better). Collate you
individual rolls and your
partners rolls in the group
tally section.

Why are peoples scores so

different?
If you didnt have to roll a 6
first would it be certain to be
a quicker activity? Why?

Enabling
Beetle game board game,
creating a more engaging
environment. Hands on
learners, rather than pen
and paper.

They should be assessed

through self-reflection and
explanation. Walk around the
classroom, asking the
questions in the Reflection
and Making Connections
section.

Extending
Use a ten-sided dice, and
ask the children to allocate
the 4 extra numbers to a
body part in order for them
to get the Beetle completed
faster.

Children who completed the

extending activity can hand in
there excersie and with their
written explanations, but
should also be encouraged to
share there learning with the
classroom, and students from
both extending and enabling
should be encouraged to give
their opinion to the ideas of the
students sharing.

Record the predictions in

your book.
Play the game, and see if
your score was lower.
What parts of the bodies
would you add more
numbers to? Why?

Session 5
Summative
Assessment
Task. (Appendix
5)

Brief overview and

discussion about what has
been learnt and explored
over the previous 4
sessions.

What have you

learnt?

Write some key words on

the board that will be in the
test and get other children
to define them for you so
they are aware of what the
question is asking them,
and arent blocked by
words and can use their
ability to use the skill
required instead.

The test is to be completed

individually.
The teacher can be
available for questions, but
is to give very little away.
More to help re-word
questions in case the
children are stuck on the
wording.

The test will pair what they

have learnt in the unit to
multiple varying situations
and will require them to
predict, test and check their
understanding of probability.

Enabling
Writing some definitions on
the whiteboard pre-testing.

Go through the post-tests and

check their responses the
questions.

There are also open

questions aswell as
multiple choice closed
questions.

The final question of the test

requires children to explain
how they have felt about the
probability unit. They have
been prompted to clarify what
they have found difficult or
easy, and if they enjoyed the
content.

Extending
Allow the test to go beyond
the expected level as well
as a few questions past the
units coverage